


Life Death and Love

by RABNerd28



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21596803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RABNerd28/pseuds/RABNerd28
Summary: The beating sun hit on his back, the warmth lulling him and seemed to take any of the strength he had left. It didn’t make any difference, he had none. So little strength left in his body he could barely stay conscious, and even that was fading. The world was blackening around him, his ears deafening. He swore he noticed something, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, instead embracing the nothingness of unconsciousness.-“Oh, wow.” There was the biggest body of water he’d ever seen. It was a deep blue, the light from the sun reflecting off of the water that came close to the edge. As he walked closer he saw the patch of sand next to it. It was beautiful. He looked it over and saw something brown and green lying on the sand. He squinted his eyes trying to get a closer look, but he couldn’t tell. He laid his staff down and made the climb down the hill cliff. He found easy ledges and was able to make his way down without falling.His feet touched the sand, and he steadied himself against the loose grains. He looked at the mass of brown and green again, and realized it was a person. “Hey! Are you okay?”
Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Beauregard Lionett, Caduceus Clay/Fjord
Comments: 10
Kudos: 106





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This started because one of my Fjorclay discord servers started talking about how they could parallel Hades and Persephone in terms of Greek Mythology. I just kinda ran with it after that.

The earth beneath Fjord was coarse and rough, scraping and burying into his hands and knees, seeping into his open wounds. It might be sand, it looked like sand, but sand wasn’t like this. It swished through the water, and was soft in your hands, squished against your toes as you walked. This couldn’t be, it was hot and hurt to have his face in.

He thought about dragging himself along it, getting further from the tides. But he had nowhere to go, he’d never had much contact with the other gods. They never went to him, had mostly known Vandren and he’d never left the ocean before. Anyone else he’d know, they’d probably betrayed him, or wouldn’t risk themselves for him. No one could help him, he’d be a burden for them anyway. No one should have to care for someone as weak as him.

The beating sun hit on his back, the warmth lulling him and seemed to take any of the strength he had left. It didn’t make any difference, he had none. So little strength left in his body he could barely stay conscious, and even that was fading. The world was blackening around him, his ears deafening. He swore he noticed something, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, instead embracing the nothingness of unconsciousness.

-

Caduceus let the final bits of grass grow, taking his staff from the ground when he was done. The grove was restored and he was done for the day. He didn’t have anything else to do and decided to start heading the long way home. He was about to step ahead when a bird landed on his staff.

“Hello,” He said. “What are you doing here?”

The bird cocked its head slightly and let out a small chirp. It pecked at the jewel at the top of the staff and tilted its head again.

“Do you want me to follow you?” The bird hopped off the staff and started to fly. “I’m taking that as a yes.”

The bird occasionally stopped on branches, so Caduceus was able to easily keep up with it. He wasn’t sure where it was going, but it was on his way home so he might as well. It took a turn away from his normal path, and continued on its way. The sounds around him started to change as he walked. The sounds of the forest were quickly becoming a crashing sound, mixed with the splashes. He followed the bird over a hill, and before he even got to the top he saw it.

“Oh, wow.” There was the biggest body of water he’d ever seen. It was a deep blue, the light from the sun reflecting off of the water that came close to the edge. As he walked closer he saw the patch of sand next to it. It was beautiful. He looked it over and saw something brown and green lying on the sand. He squinted his eyes trying to get a closer look, but he couldn’t tell. He laid his staff down and made the climb down the hill cliff. He found easy ledges and was able to make his way down without falling.

His feet touched the sand, and he steadied himself against the loose grains. He looked at the mass of brown and green again, and realized it was a person. “Hey! Are you okay?”

There was no answer, so he made his way closer. He stood above the person, a god like him. His skin was a dark green, and hair was black with a gray streak. He had several severe cuts and bruises that he could see, and Caduceus bent down beside him. He placed his fingers on the mans pulse, finding it, but extremely weak. He turned him over as gentle as he could, and had to hold back a gasp.

There was a deep massive wound in the center of his chest. Blood was still seeping out, slowly, but still dangerous for him. He pulled some of his magic to seal the wound, but it didn’t work entirely. It was smaller but wasn’t closing all the way. He needed to take him and figure out what was stopping it from healing.

“You’re in rough shape. But I’m going to get you out of here.” The man didn’t answer him, but he was still breathing. Caduceus could work with that. He looked around the beach and saw a large plank of wood. It was broken a jagged, but it was long and flat. He could easily pull the man back home with him.

“I’ll be right back.” He grabbed the wood and dragged it over. It wasn’t tall enough to have the man’s whole body on it, he’d have to have his legs hanging off. He checked them over, and couldn’t find any injuries on them. “Alright, I’m gonna put you on here, then use some vines to help pull you home. Sorry about the legs. You’re a bit to tall for this.”

He rolled the man onto the wood, and created a vine to attach to it. It wasn’t his best work, but it would do for now. The sand met the grass a few feet away, and he could find his way back home from there. He pulled at the vine and the board easily moved with it. He continued on till he got to the grass and saw the little bird in the tree.

“I’ll take care of it from here.” The bird chirped and started to clean out the feathers on its wings. He gave it a small smile and continued to pull the man along.

The trek back to the Blooming Grove was long, but necessary. There were several moments where he stopped to take a break and check on the man. He was still breathing and the pulse still going. He tried to keep healing the wound, but it still wasn’t working. The smaller cuts had fully healed, but the one on his head was going to leave a scar.

He eventually made it back, the trees overhead providing shade that cooled him down a bit. He started a fire, and went inside the temple to look for medical supplies. He considered calling Melora, but she’d always wanted her children to figure things out on their own first. Although she did normally want him to come to her more. He may be too independent.

He walked back out and checked on the man again. He brought out a cloth and dipped in the water, cleaning off the wound. He wrapped it in bandages and tape, trying to do it the non-magical way. It would be a long time before he could move freely if that was what he needed. The wound clearly magical, he should probably call Beau and ask if she knew anything about it. He’ll do what he can for now.

-

Fjord felt himself come to consciousness, the soreness still spread throughout his body, but most of the striking pain was gone. The first thing that hit him was the smell of smoke. It was different than he’d ever smelled it before, but it was still the distinct smoky flavor of a fire. He felt the warmth from it on his right side. He opened his eyes heavily, trying to blink away the blurriness from them, but failing. He turned his head to the side, staring at the fire. It didn’t look like a fire. It was glowing orange, like magma. The ones below never had a color, just a feeling. It stayed within the space of the rocks and driftwood. It was strange.

He forced himself to sit up slowly, and an ache of pain spread through his chest. The rest of the wounds he felt nothing, not even finding scars. His chest however was wrapped in bandages, the blood starting to soak through them. He did his best to try and keep calm, not to move them. He wanted to lay back down and close his eyes, too tired to think, but forced them to stay open as he took in his surroundings.

The area was filled with an unfamiliar green. The sane was no longer there, now short blades of light green growing out of the ground beneath him, the ocean was nowhere in sight. There were long thick brown driftwood pieces growing out of the ground and spread through the air, practically connecting to each other. Bits of green plant filled the spaces in between them. Beyond the fire was a temple. It was made of stone, and covered in the dark green plant. It wasn’t too large, but the wooden door on it remained closed.

A god was here. He had no idea who, and they had brought him here. He wanted to run away, get away from whoever was behind that door. But his body refused to move, too sore and injured to go anywhere. He was at the mercy of whatever was behind that door.

The door started to move, a loud creek echoing through the area. He tried to move again, but the pain soared through his chest and it took all he could not to yell out in pain. He lifted his hand, trying to summon his Falchion, but nothing. He didn’t even feel his powers trying to surface, just nothing. All he could do was stare at the door as it opened, awaiting his fate as it came towards him.

A pale gray hand moved the door open, and the god stepped out. The first word that Fjord would use to describe him would be tall. He towered over everything, and had to bend down to get out of the temple. His hair was long pink and messy, shaved along the sides. He wore a white silvery top that flowed behind him, the sleeves nearly reaching the ground. A bowl was in his hands.

"Good to see you awake." His voice was deep, but filled with warmth. He walked over and placed the bowl beside the fire. “I was getting worried, your wound wasn’t infected and it didn’t seem to hit a major artery, but I wasn’t sure.” The man took a rag from the bowl and soaked it, letting some of the excess water drop back into the bowl.

Fjord tried to move away, but the pain in his chest was too much as he sat up more. He accidentally let out a groan catching the man’s attention. He moved his arm toward Fjord, but he tried to pull back. The man quickly snapped his arm back.

“I didn’t mean to startle you. I just need to clean your wound and replace you bandages. It’s a very deep cut, and I want to get it to stop bleeding.” He pulled out a bunch of cloth beside him that Fjord just stared at. “I only want to help, I don’t think you can do it yourself right now.” Fjord stared at him, unsure of what to do. The man didn’t make another move, just waited for Fjord to make his own. Fjord hesitantly let himself calm, and moved his chest forward slightly.

The man moved to his side and carefully placed his hands on the edge of the bandages. He rolled them off, and Fjord almost threw up. The gash in his chest was deep, and still bleeding. He thought it had gone through his heart but it had missed. The man put his hand on his chin and lifted his head up, changing his blurred gaze to the trees.

“I think it’s better if you don’t look at it.” Fjord stared out ahead, doing his best not to look down. He heard the drip of water again, and there was a wet pressure on his chest. The man scrubbed lightly at his chest, and it took everything in Fjord to breath steadily. “The worst is here. I could heal everything else, but this is a different kind of wound. I called a friend about some help, but I don’t know when she’ll get back to me. Although your head was also pretty bad, there’s a scar now. Sorry about that.”

The man caught a particularly bad part, and Fjord let out a hiss of pain. “Sorry.” He continued to clean the wound. “I’m going to put the bandages on now.” He grabbed cloth from the side and placed it carefully over Fjord’s chest.

Fjord felt very tired. Despite how messed up his nerves were the area was calming, soothing even, and the last thing he felt before the blackness took over were the man smoothing out his bandages.

-

Caduceus caught the man before he fell to the ground, carefully laying him against the grass as he did. He was still breathing, so Caduceus hadn’t accidentally killed him in the process. He put the bloody rag in the bowl, and picked up the bloody bandages. He looked the man over one more time, but when he found nothing, he headed back to the temple to put everything away, and to let the man rest.

-

Fjord blinked his eyes open again, his vision much more clear. It had become dark, but the fire provided some light and warmth. He sat up easier this time, and saw the stranger beside him. He was taking a kettle away from the fire when he noticed Fjord. He gave him a smile and poured water into two of the cups beside him.

“I’m glad your awake again.” There was a container beside him, he placed his hand in and pulled out some crushed leaves. He sprinkled them into the water, and handed it over to Fjord. Fjord just stared at the cup for a moment, and didn’t take it. He didn’t want it, whatever was in there could kill him. “It’s just tea.” Fjord just stared at him some more before the man just placed it back on the ground.

“Yeah, not everyone’s a tea person. Some are put off by the flavor, others just don’t like when the leaves get in their teeth.” He grabbed the other cup and took a sip from it. “I like to think that they just haven’t found the right flavor.” A bit of realization seemed to his eye as he took another sip. “I’m Caduceus, Caduceus Clay. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Caduceus. Fjord watched the light dance across his face, barely giving color, and casting him in more shadow. It should have been haunting, disturbing, even creepy. But there was something about he found fascinating, and oddly beautiful.

“Where am I?” Fjord realized that his voice was coming out rough and gravely. He hadn’t spoken and his injuries did not help him.

“Oh, you’re in the Blooming Grove. It has other names, but that’s the one I like best.” The man placed his tea down. “Quite a few people come by every now and again. Sprite’s and Nymphs really like it here, the Muses not so much. A couple of my friends will drop by, Jester especially. She finds it rather beautiful. The older gods stay away, and I’m okay with that. We don’t have much to talk about.” He looked up and blinked for several moments. “Except Melora. She’ll bring Erathis and my siblings sometimes as well.” He looked down at Fjord. “I’m sorry, um, what’s your name?”

Fjord didn’t know if he should give Caduceus his name. He didn’t know what he knew about him, what he could tell others. He looked away and stared down at his hand...which was now a sickly green. That was when he threw up.

“Okay, it’s okay.” He continued to hack into the grass beside him, feeling Caduceus rub at his back. “Just let it out.”

He continued to cough and sputter as what was left in his stomach was gone. He stared at his dark green skin, where it had once been a pale blue. He’d been ruined, corrupted. He felt a deep ache and pain in his chest, his blood was pounding against his skin. He was changed, a dead link, he was gone from his domain, all his power taken away. He was stuck somewhere with a stranger.

“You’ll be okay. I’ll get you some water.” Caduceus stood up and left him to calm himself. Fjord didn’t know what to do, his arms were still shaking even though the dry heaving had stopped. A cup was suddenly placed at his side, and the rubbing was back. “It’s okay.”

Fjord forced himself off his hands and knees. He sat back trying to brush off Caduceus. Caduceus snapped his hand back. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re uneasy. You can stay as long as you want.” He stood up and started walking back to the temple.

Fjord just stared at him as he walked away. He had gone on with such a light air in his voice, like nothing he said held any weight for him. It probably didn’t. Whatever this god’s domain, it wasn’t important. It was just part of his life. He was simple, and Fjord questioned if he could have harmed him, but he didn’t think so. Every part of him radiated calm.

“Fjord.” Caduceus turned back to look at him. “My name is Fjord.” He’d probably regret that later somehow. But Caduceus smiled at him, as he turned into the temple and went inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Caduceus woke up, the sunlight streaming through the small window. He sat up and stretched his arms, trying to shake the sleep from his system. He grabbed his clothes for the day and finished getting ready. He let his staff rest inside, deciding to focus on Fjord today. Beau had sent a bird the night before, a letter and a bottle attached. It was meant to counter all magical wounds, and should help Fjord with the one on his check. He made a note to bring her some tea later as a thanks. He opened the door and took a step outside.

Fjord was awake as he walked out, Caduceus was almost surprised to find him still there. Caduceus was willing to admit that he found him strange. No one had ever really been afraid of him, but Fjord jumped at the slightest inclination that he would get close to him. He was curious about what happened to make him act this way. Whatever it was must have been painful, must have taken all of his strength. He’d need a lot of time and help if he wanted to recover fully.

He took a step forward, and Fjord flinched before seeing him. He relaxed slightly, but Caduceus could still see that his guard was up. He would do his best not to scare him in the future, but it would probably take a lot of effort.

He walked over to the fire and added more wood, trying to strengthen the flame. It licked at the wood easily and burned, bringing the smokey scent to the air. He grabbed his kettle filled with water and placed it gently over the flame. He tried to ignore Fjord’s eyes on him, but he wanted to look back, wanted to ask so many questions. His curiosity was piqued, but he could tell that Fjord wouldn’t talk to him. He was already on guard about him, asking questions would just make him distrust him. He’d let Fjord open up to him when he was ready.

“Who else is here?” Caduceus finally let his gaze meet Fjord’s. He still eyed him, untrusting and wary.

Caduceus smiled at him. “No one it’s just me.”

“There’s no one else.”

“I know people. They visit, or I visit them, but I’m the only one that lives here.” The kettle whistled and he took it off the fire. He poured two cups like the night before, and put in the tea leaves. Fjord looked him over as he prepared it.

Caduceus could practically see Fjord building the walls around himself. Not wanting to get close at all to him, both physically and emotionally. He could deal with that, but knew that Fjord wouldn’t survive that way. He didn’t need him to trust him that much, just enough to get him back up on his feet.

“I got a letter from a friend.” Caduceus sipped his tea, and looked over at the medicine next to me. “She gave me some medicine for the wound. I’ll start on it soon.”

Fjord nodded, but didn’t change much of his demeanor. Still guarded, still untrusting. He finished off his tea and moved to Fjord’s side. “I’m going to remove your bandages now.”

He slowly moved his hand to Fjord’s chest, and rolled off the bandages slowly. Fjord barely breathed as he took the medicine from the bottle. He placed a bit on his hands, it was cool against his skin, and rubbed at the outer edges of the wound. Fjord let out a small groan, but didn’t move away. Caduceus watched the wound slowly start to heal itself, the skin stitching itself back together. Fjord looked down at his chest and watched it all happen, amazement deep in his eyes.

He put more of the medicine on his hand and moved from the edge of the wound towards the center. He worked closer and closer, the wound closing more and more as he worked. Fjord watched his hands work, and Caduceus did his best not to feel self-conscious, no one had ever stared at him like that. Then again he wasn’t normally rubbing at their chest and fixing them the old fashioned way.

Caduceus lifted his hand away as the wound closed all the way. Fjord just stared down at it, slowly lifting his hand to his chest. There was now a large scar, but he was healed. No more bleeding, no more bandages. He would make it to the next day.

“How do you feel?”

Fjord lifted his gaze slightly, still grasping at his chest. “Better.” Caduceus nodded at him and started to clean up the stuff. “Thank you.” Caduceus’ ears perked at the small whisper.

“You’re welcome.”

-

“Who’s Melora?” Caduceus sat down beside Fjord after returning things to the temple.

“Melora?”

“You mentioned her before. Who is she?” Caduceus couldn’t help but give him an odd look.

“You’ve never heard of the Wildmother?” Fjord shook his head. “Well, she’s nature. It’s her domain. Some of us fill a smaller role, but she encompases all of it. The grass, the trees, the birds, the ocean, the wind, it’s all her.”

“Do you know her well?”

“Yes. She made me after all.”

Fjord blinked at him rapidly, a glassy confused look in his eyes. “She made you?”

“She did.”

“She’s your mother?”

“Maybe, but I’ve never really thought about it that way. She did make me, and my siblings.” Fjord blinked at him for several seconds but averted his gaze. Caduceus was starting to realize that wherever Fjord was from it was probably segregated from the world. “Some of us were made from the clay of the earth, molded to fill out certain roles. One’s that were left from the cracks that the other god’s left. They’d already chosen their domain’s but more of us were still needed.”

“What role do you fill?”

“Quite a few actually.” A nice warm breeze came through the clearing. Fjord turned himself towards the way it came, pushing himself back against the pressure for a moment before steadying himself. He stared ahead till it died down.

“Is that you?”

Caduceus let out a small huff of amusement. “No, one of the Stone’s do that. I don’t think I’d call them a sibling, more of a cousin. Melora created them also, but from the rock and stone of the ground. I do something a bit different.”

Caduceus moved some of the dirt around so that the grass was overturned and the mud was now at the top. He made a nice small mound, and placed his hands around it. He reached down into the earth and asked for some of its help, and it gave it willingly. He felt the power flow through him as a stem started to poke from the ground. A bud was on the end and it quickly grew to its full height. On the end was a pink tulip, blooming for the world to see.

Fjord stared at it for a moment, his mouth hanging open. He brought his hand slowly forward, sticking out a two of his fingers. He barely gave it a brush, but stilled when it moved with him.

“It is not as weak as it appears. Nature is strong, even the smallest of its gifts can withstand a lot.” He removed his hands from the flower. “I allow things to grow from the earth, bring dead and dying land back to life. I revive the earth after winter takes its toll on it. Melora just calls me the god of Spring.”

\- 

Fjord was completely mesmerized by Caduceus. He just put his entire life out and gave it to Fjord. Not a moment of hesitation for what Fjord could do with the information. He didn’t know if he thought he was insignificant enough that it didn’t matter or if he was just that trusting. Fjord shook himself out of his daze, he needed to know more about the other gods. Melora had seemed like a good place to start, but he was stuck on what Caduceus said about her.

“You said that Melora is the ocean.”

“She is, but I think there’s someone filling in the cracks for her.”

“Do you know who?”

“No, I think that’s before my time.”

Fjord felt himself shake. He’d always figure that the other gods knew who the others were, and the only reason that he didn’t was because he never went to the surface, never talked to any of them. But things were starting to feel more complicated than that. If no one knew who he was, then there’s no way that they’d help him.

“You don’t look so good,” Fjord looked up at Caduceus as he moved his hand to Fjord’s head. “You’re not running a fever.” He grabbed a tea kettle on the fire and started to pour water into the cup that had gone cold. He put the kettle down and placed several of the leaves into the cup, same as his. He held it out to Fjord. “Drink this, it should help. Careful, it’s hot.”

Fjord stared at the cup, hesitantly deciding whether or not to take it. Caduceus had continually confused him since he had taken him in. He’d healed his minor wounds, taken him to his home, and found a medicine to heal the one in his chest. Fjord didn’t know what he expected in return, but he clearly needed him alive for it. He wouldn’t have cured him if he wanted him dead, so he figured the drink wasn’t poisoned at least.

He cautiously took the cup from Caduceus’ hands, the warmth from it radiating to his skin. He looked it over, trying to find a trace of poison or something else, but found nothing. He lifted it to his mouth and took a tentative sip. It was hot, like Caduceus said, almost burning his tongue and had a strong earthy flavor. He look another sip and found that he rather liked it. It warmed and calmed him as he drank it. 

“You called this tea, right?” Fjord asked.

“Yes.” Caduceus answered brightly.

“I’ve never had it before.” Fjord admitted.

“How do you like it?”

“It’s good. What’s it made of?”

Caduceus picked up his own cup and took a sip. “The easiest way to explain it is that it’s made of leaves.” He took another sip and poured more water into the cup.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. Well, you can mix herbs in and it’s only with certain types of leaves. It’s how you get different flavors. Some people will add sugar or honey to make it sweeter.” He held out the kettle towards Fjord. “Want me to top you off?”

Fjord glanced down at the cup. It was good, and he wasn’t dead. He liked the warmth it brought him. He nodded and held out his cup, which Caduceus filled. He set down the kettle and drank from his own cup.

A little tea didn’t seem to hurt him.


	3. Chapter 3

Fjord had stayed with Caduceus much longer than he originally thought he would. Caduceus rarely stayed with him, instead having some tea with him and leaving the grove. Sometimes he’d be back in an hour, other times he wouldn’t return till dark, waking Fjord beside the fire when he did.

He’d told Fjord multiple times that he was allowed to sleep in the temple, but Fjord didn’t know if he could. While he knew that Caduceus wasn’t going to kill him, he didn’t trust him entirely either. He didn’t do much with his day, they were incredibly boring aside from when Caduceus is around. He never did know where he went.

It was one of those days that someone showed up. Fjord heard them before he saw them, rustling in the trees behind him. For a moment he was frozen before he quickly scampered to the side of the temple. He slipped and the upper half of his body was now covered in mud. He pressed his back to the temple when a high accented voice rang out.

“Caduceus!” There was more rustling as whoever it was walked into the grove. “Are you here!?” Fjord held his breath, trying not to alert whoever it was to his presence. Are you sleeping?” He heard footsteps get closer and quietly moved himself against the wall. He couldn’t risk them seeing him. He heard the sound of knocking on a door, followed by moments of silence. They knocked again, this time louder. “Caduceus!” They continued to pound on the door, before giving up. He heard the sound of a paper, followed by the footsteps again. As they grew more and more faint, he stuck his head out from the side of the temple. Whoever it was was now gone.

He tried not to think about it as he returned to his spot.

-

Caduceus walked back to the Grove, his work for the day done. A small bird appeared on his staff again, but quickly flew off. He figured that it wasn’t looking for attention, and let it be on its own.

“Caduceus!” Caduceus turned to his side to see Jester coming out of the woods. Her horns were covered in leaves that she quickly pulled out of her hair.

“Jester. It’s good to see you, what brings you by?”

“I know it’s your busy season, but I need help with a gift for mamma. Her garden hasn’t been growing well and I want to make it better.” She twirled a finger through her hair. “Do you think you can help?”

“I always have time to help you, Jester. Let’s go back to the grove and figure out what’s wrong.”

“I was just there. You weren’t home so I left a letter.”

“Oh. Did you talk to Fjord?”

“Who’s Fjord?” Her look of confusion only lasted a second before turning into a mischievous smirk. “Caduceus! Did you have a boy over last night?”

Caduceus felt his face go hot with embarrassment. “Yes, but not like that.”

“Ooo, I did not see this boy when I was over there. I have to go back and meet him now.”

She started to walk back to the grove, but Caduceus grabbed her by the arm to stop her. “That’s really not a good idea Jester. If you didn’t see him that means he was hiding. He’s already incredibly scared, I don’t want him to be even more.”

Jester blinked up at him for a moment before she relaxed. “Okay. I understand. This is someone you’re helping.”

“Yes.”

“You’re so selfless Caduceus. One of these days you're going to take a break and get to do something for yourself.” She sat herself down in the grass, legs crossed elbows on her knees and chin resting on her hands. “We can talk here.”

Caduceus gave a smile as he joined her on the ground. “Of course.”

“Although, I am going to meet this boy someday.”

“Jester…”

“I know, I know, but someday.”

They discussed her problem, and Caduceus was able to help her figure out how to fix the garden. She thanked him and hugged, while also making several suggestive comments on Fjord. He kept dismissing them, but she was pretty hung up on meeting him. He promised that when he was more trusting, then they’d meet. She gave him one final hug and ran off back home.

Caduceus wandered back to the grove, the trees bringing him more shade the closer he got. He found Fjord sitting beside the fire, immediately going into a defensive stance. He watched him relax as he realized that it was Caduceus, returning to his seat beside the fire.

“How was your day?” Caduceus walked past Fjord towards the temple, placing his staff gently against the wall. He took his bag off and placed it on the ground next to it.

“Fine. How was yours?” Fjord watched him as Caduceus walked back and sit next to him.

“It was good, I got a lot of work done.”

“That’s good.” Fjord didn’t continue anymore, just staring at the fire.

“Did something happen today?”

“No.”

Caduceus eyed him, knowing that he was lying since he’d already run into Jester. He decided not to press him on it. He stretched and laid back. “Okay.”

Fjord stared at him before laying on the ground next to him. “You’re not normally this tired.”

“I’m not, but it’s been awhile since I’ve taken a day off.” He rolled over onto his side and placed his hands as a pillow under his head. Work can wear on you, even when you enjoy it.”

“You don’t get paid enough or something?”

Caduceus couldn’t help but snicker. “Something like that.”

Fjord laid down to face him, resting his head on his hand. “What do you do everyday? Where do you go?”

Caduceus lifted himself up slightly. “You’ve never asked me that before.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask for awhile.”

“Well, I go where the earth needs me, and I restore it.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“I could show you.” Fjord lifted his eyebrows in interest. “Tomorrow, I could show you what I do. Come with me.”

Fjord cocked his head to the side. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I think the plants need to talk to someone besides me every once in awhile.” Fjord blinked his eyes at him, in an expression that Caduceus couldn’t quite read. “It’s quite beautiful, what I do. I think the plants will like you.”

“And if they don’t like me?”

“They like most people, I’ve never heard them complain.” Fjord let out a small chuckle as he sat up, eyes squinted slightly. There was a slight wrinkle in his forehead as his eyebrows came close together. He stared out ahead for a full minute before Caduceus decided to interrupt him. “It’s up to you obviously, but I like the company.” Fjord looked down to him when he spoke again, his face softening to a more neutral expression.

Fjord let out a small sigh.

“Okay.”

-

Fjord walked several feet behind Caduceus, trying to slow himself and keep an eye on everything. The grove he didn’t try and keep an eye on, trusting that Caduceus had at least put up some kind of defense in case someone came by. Although that had changed since yesterday. He didn’t want to be there if someone showed up again.

The further from the grove they walked the more paranoid he became, his heart racing, eyes darting everywhere. His body tensed at the slightest sound, keeping him in place for a few small moments, and having to pace a little faster to keep up with Caduceus. It had been almost three hours when Caduceus stopped. Fjord was starting to feel his legs tense and his lungs burn.

“Are we here?” Fjord asked. He tried not to seem so eager to stop, but he was panting and sweating. What was once a cooler day seemed sweltering now.

Caduceus shook his head. “Almost, but we’re taking a break. He sat cross legged on the ground and placed his staff in front of him. 

“Alright.” Fjord tried to hide his relief as he sat on the ground. He took out the water skin and drank a decent amount, gulping each sip like he hadn’t had a taste in years. He put it down and looked to the side, noticing Caduceus watch him, but quickly avert his eyes. He placed the water skin down and stretched out his arms and legs, trying to relieve himself of the pain in them.

“Are you alright?” Caduceus leaned over towards Fjord.

“I’m fine.” Fjord insisted, he stretched his arms over his head. “It’s been a long walk, that’s all.”

“I shouldn’t push you too much. It’s been awhile since you’ve moved this much, it could be straining on your body.”

“I’m fine.”

“Mmm-hmm.” Caduceus stood up and leaned against his staff. “I have this ache in my knee, my sister broke it when we were kids, it doesn’t happen often. When it does I need to rest it, because the first time I didn’t, I was out a lot longer than I needed to be. Rest is all part of the healing process, even after you think you’ve been fully healed.”

“I don’t think my chest aches right now.”

“Yes, but your lungs probably burn, which is part of pushing yourself. But sometimes you need to rest or the burn will become too much.”

Fjord pushed himself up to a sitting position. “Are you sure your domain isn’t medicine?”

“No, I just enjoy helping people, and knowing how to take care of your body is part of that.” He held out his hand to Fjord. “If you’re ready, we can keep going.”

Fjord looked at his hand for a moment before taking it, Caduceus helping him pull himself to his feet. He ended up grabbing Caduceus’ arm to steady himself, which he didn’t seem to mind. They walked through the forest some more, which started to ascend to hill. Fjord took a moment, taking a deep breath, and taking several steps up.

It was a long climb, and any energy that Fjord had regained from their break was quickly gone. His lungs burned all over again, and he had to take another break. He leaned his back against a tree, drinking from his water skin, Caduceus walking back to join him.

“You should go on ahead without me. I’m just slowing you down.”

“I have all the time in the world.” Caduceus brought his staff forward. “Would you like to use it as we walk?”

Fjord waved it away and took another sip from the water skin. “I’ll be fine. Are you sure you don’t need to be there soon?”

“I have all day. Besides, like I said, we’re almost there. Just over the hill.”

Fjord looked over the hill and tried not to think about the steepness draining on his body with each step. He pushed himself off the tree, forcing himself to right himself and find balance on his own. It was trickier now, with the slant of the hill, but he managed. “Let’s go.”

Caduceus nodded and they continued up the hill, Fjord pushing himself to make it to the top. He forced himself to ignore the burn in his lungs and the sweat on his brow. The hill stopped to occasional breeze from coming through, so any coolness he would have gotten didn’t come.

They reached the top, and, without even thinking, Fjord immediately fell to the ground. He expected to feel the familiar softness of grass and mud, but instead it was a hard, almost rock like slam on his back.

“Ow!” Fjord immediately sat up and turned to look at his surroundings.

The land was practically desolate. The normally deep brown of the mud was now a sickly grey, almost black, dry and cracked. There was almost no grass sticking out of it, and any that appeared was a sickly dried up yellow. The trees around were grey instead of brown, parts of the bark were breaking off.

“What happened here?” Fjord felt the dirt against his hand, the small amount that could shifted against his hand.

“Winter was too harsh this year.” Caduceus walked past him, towards the middle of the clearing. He placed his hand on the dry cracked ground and closed his eyes. “I need to go deep.”

He stood up and tapped his staff on the ground. He did this in several different points before stopping. He twisted his hand on the staff and the pink jagged jewel at the top glowed. He lifted it one final time and brought it down to the ground. It broke the surface and stood upright as he let go of it. He returned to the kneeling position beside it. Fjord watched him in complete silence, the look of concentration on his face stopping any questions that he had. Caduceus placed his hand on the ground and dug his fingers in, the earth barely giving way. His face became more focused, and that’s when Fjord felt something.

A tickle at his hand made him look at it, still on the ground. Tiny bits of green were now sprouting out of the ground, surrounding him. The grass didn’t grow to fast, but he could see it happen. As it grew, the mud turned from dry and cracked to warm, soft and smooth. He looked over to the trees, the grey bark falling away as a healthier brown took its place. Branches grew where old one’s had fallen away, buds on the end that soon sprouted into nice green leaves. A few flowers sprung up around the trees and near the center. Some bright yellow and pink, while other were dark reds and purples. A wind went by and swept the pollen into the air, it glowed against everything else.

“You did this?” Fjord couldn’t help but ask as he stood up to look at it all up close.

“Yes. Winter gets harsh in some places and sometimes the earth needs an extra bit of help when spring arrives.”

“You do this all personally?”

“No, just the places that really need it. Most recover fine on their own. People are the same.” Fjord turned back to look at Caduceus. He stood up, using the staff for support. “I think this place can take care of itself for awhile now.” He lifted up the staff and grass grew over the spot. “It’ll grow on it’s own for a bit.”

Caduceus was incredible. He’d restored the whole area on his own in only a few minutes. It was a magic that he had never experienced before, one that was pure and felt so real. He thought he felt it against him, inside of him, it made him feel so good. Caduceus turned to him, his hair catching in the wind, pushing over his shoulder, flowing behind him. The sun reflected against his eyes and the pollen around him. A bird suddenly landed on his staff and he petted it gently. The small creature brushed against his finger happily.

“I hope you enjoy your home.” He lifted the bird off the staff and it flew to one of the trees.

In that moment, Fjord felt a familiar twist in his gut. He felt it when he had first laid eyes on Avantica months ago. Familiar, but different. This time, it had to be an admiration, a fascination, a confusion.

That’s what it had to be, right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I don't even know why. It was done awhile ago. I did say that I would update on Sundays though.

Their days shifted after that. Fjord would join Caduceus on his journey to restore the land, wake up the world as Caduceus sometimes said it. He always asked, wanting to make sure that Fjord had the option of coming along, he wasn’t required. But Fjord wanted to come. The first time was because he didn’t want to be alone in case anyone else showed up, but after that first time, he wanted to see what Caduceus did. He’d fallen in love with it, loved the way the earth turned knew with just his touch. How things that were dead came to life because of him. There were so many bad things in the world, and he just added beauty to it instead. Fjord could watch it happen forever, and through it all something else started to happen.

Fjord had begun to trust Caduceus, was starting to feel more relaxed in his presence. He let his guard down more and more, and most days that didn’t seem like such a bad thing. Other days, he thought about running away. Whatever Caduceus wanted with him, he’d ask eventually and he didn’t know what he’d ask for. He had no real reason to stay, but he had nowhere else to go. gnawing at the back of his head told him to just ask Caduceus what he wanted. 

Fjord ate his breakfast and watched Caduceus pour his tea. “Where are we going today?”

“Nowhere.” Caduceus took a long sip of his tea.

“Nowhere?”

“I need a break today. There was a lot to do yesterday, and I’m rather drained.” Fjord saw the dark circles under his eyes, and how he lifted his hands slower than normal.

“Do you get like this easily?”

“No, but even I need a break every once in a while. Restoring the earth takes a lot of energy, and I don’t want to put half of the effort into it, so today I rest.”

“Oh. Well that’s good.” Fjord swallowed the last of his breakfast. “Any plans.”

“I might visit a friend later. You can come with.”

“I don’t think your friend would enjoy a random person knocking on their doorstep.”

“Why? That’s how she met her girlfriend.”

Fjord couldn’t help but chuckle, and sipped the rest of his tea. He looked down at the remaining contents of the cup, thinking of the best way to approach his question.

“When you found me,” He began. “On the beach, you never asked me how I got there.”

“Well, you were unconscious.”

“Yes, but even after, you never asked.” Fjord looked up from the cup. “Why?”

Caduceus placed his cup on the ground. “It didn’t seem like my place, and I didn’t want to push you. You’d talk when you wanted to.” Caduceus raised his eyebrow. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I-um,” Fjord averted his gaze. “No, I just didn’t understand why you didn’t. Most people would ask about the random person they found half dead on a beach.”

“I’ll admit, I’m curious. But it’s not my place to pry, and it’s only for you to tell if you want to. Also, you weren’t half dead, you were slightly above half dead.”

Fjord breathed out a slight chuckle. “Why’d you heal me?”

Caduceus stared at a moment, reading the expression on his face, before his eyes went wide. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m a complete stranger, why would you do that?”

“I wanted to help.”

“But I could have hurt you.”

“In your state, you really couldn’t have.”

Fjord rolled his eyes. “What do you get out of doing that?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

“You got nothing out of it, and got nothing in return.”

“Yup.”

“So, why’d you help me?”

Caduceus raised his eyebrow. “Because it was the right thing to do.”

“There was literally no other reason?”

“Pretty much. Like I said, I’m curious, but that’s more of an afterthought.”

Fjord waited for the catch, the “but”, but nothing else. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Completely sure that there was no other reason?”

“Why do you think I have another reason?” Caduceus looked at him, confused and curious all at once.

“People just don’t do good things for people, without expecting anything in return.”

“I think you’ve been surrounding yourself with the wrong kind of people. You’ll find that there are a lot of people who want to do the right thing.”

“Like who?”

Caduceus stood up and stretched his legs. He walked over to the side of the house and grabbed his. “Let me show you.”

“Where are we going?” Fjord stood up, and followed him out of the grove.

“Going to visit a friend.”

-

They entered a clearing where the field was filled almost entirely with purple wildflowers. Fjord had never seen so many in one place, not even when Caduceus had awoken a whole field. He didn’t think that they held the same magic that his did, but someone clearly liked them enough to plant so many. They walked through, Fjord feeling a little more safe than he had on previous outings. As they walked, Fjord could just see something over the horizon. It was a large dark mass, that got bigger the longer they walked. As they came closer, he could see that it was a temple.

It was much larger that Caduceus’, more of a public place than a home. There were towers at the top and one large dome in the center. As they came closer, Fjord could see people fluttering around it. He could tell by their dress that they were muses. He paused the second he saw them, not wanting to take another step.

Caduceus seemed to sense him stopping and turned back so that they were now face to face. “I should have thought about them, I’m sorry. Do you want to go back?”

Fjord stared at the temple for a moment. He was going to have to see people again eventually, have to be around them. It was better to get this over with now rather than later. “Let’s go.”

Caduceus nodded and they continued forward. As they drew closer, the temple got bigger. Fjord eyes darted to each passerby who all quickly maneuvered around the two of them. Fjord expected someone to stop, but they all seemed too wrapped up in their own business to pay any attention to them.

“Why are we here?”

“Visiting a friend, she trains and lives here. She’s a little headstrong and abrasive, but good.” Caduceus walked up the steps, a couple of muses giving him a wave as he passed, clearly used to his presence.

“What is this place?” Fjord quickly followed behind Caduceus, doing his best not run into anyone on the crowded staircase. They then entered through the open doors at the top.

“The Cobalt Soul, it’s one of the temples that hold the knowledge of the world.” They started through the entryway, before entering through another door. The room was extremely large, and shelves stuck out from the long hallway. They were filled from floor to ceiling with books. “There’s quite a few of them, but this is the one where Beau is.” Fjord was about to ask who Beau was when Caduceus tapped the shoulder of the nearest Muse. “Do you know where Beauregard is?”

The muse gave an exasperated sigh. “In the training pit.” She turned away quickly down one of the aisles.

“Thank you!” He called to her quietly, gaining a glare from a passing muse that he didn’t seem to notice. He turned his attention from her and started to walk down the long hallway. Fjord quickly followed, and tried to keep himself quiet, but he had to take two steps at a time just to keep up with Caduceus.

They reached the end of the hall to another set of doors. On the other side was a staircase leading up and down. Caduceus started heading down, and Fjord grabbed the railing as he followed. The walls were made of a dark grey stone, evenly put together. The stairs themselves going down in a spiral. As they descended, Fjord heard some echoes. They sounded like people, tired working people. It was then that a scream rang out.

Caduceus looked back over his shoulder. “Oh, that would be her.” The sounds became quiet for a moment and then picked up again. Fjord paused for a moment, his palms becoming sweaty and heart rate picking up as he thought of who they might be meeting.

At the bottom of the stairs was a somewhat open area, before a large stone tunnel opened up. There were several torches along the walls of both lighting the area’s, but Fjord couldn’t really make out what was on the end. The noises were more clear now, grunts followed by what sounded like punching someone in the face. Caduceus didn’t even pause, instead walking straight down the tunnel. Fjord kept himself a few paces back as he walked, but kept his ears open.

As they got closer to the end, Fjord felt the ground shift. He looked down to see the floor was now covered in sand. He readjusted himself for a moment, still not used to it being dry. Not squishy and wet, but dry and flaky. It was still familiar though, and gave him a slight warmth in his chest. Though, he was very confused as to why it was down there. He made his way through the sand and out the other side of the tunnel.

As he got closer, he saw that the stone floor was now covered in sand. He squished at it for a moment, happy with its familiarity, but confused as to why it was there. They finally exited to out the tunnel in front of them.

There was a pit, ceiling high up above them, protruding light from the top. The whole floor was covered in sand, and there was a seiries of benches with people resting on them, all tired and sweaty. There was a wooden gate surrounding more of the pit, with several people inside. Several were surrounding a woman in the center, another person to the side observing. The woman in the center was muscular and had on a brown and blue outfit. She wiped blood from her nose and took a swing at one of the people surrounding her, who quickly punched back. She fell to the ground and split blood from her mouth.

“Discipline, you swung without thinking.” They said. The woman in the center, picked herself up and rolled her shoulders.

“I know.” She gritted out.

“You may leave for now, but think on your skills.” The person left outside of the gate along with the others, leaving the woman who quickly fell on her back in exhaustion. The person gave Caduceus a familiar look, but otherwise did not acknowledge him.

“Beau!” Caduceus yelled slightly. The woman, Beau, lifted herself up to her elbows. She gave Caduceus a week smile and picked herself up. The energy coming off of her was different than his and Caduceus’. She wasn’t a god, but she wasn’t not one. Maybe a demi-god?

Beau walked out of the pit, picking up a cup of water as she walked over to Caduceus. “Hey Cad.” She gave him a hug, pulling back and looking at his shirt. “I think I got blood on you.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He replied. She gave a small chuckle. She looked slightly to the side, and finally noticed the Fjord.

“Now, who’s this?”

Caduceus stepped to the side, a gestured his hand towards him. “This is Fjord.”

Beau quickly took a step forward, eyeing him a bit, before sticking out her hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Beau.”

Fjord looked at her hand, and back to her face. She didn’t look like she was going to hurt, him although she probably could judging by the company she was keeping. He took it, but hesitantly.

“Likewise.” They shook for a few moments before letting go at the same time. “Are you okay? You’ve got a lot of blood everywhere.”

“Eh, I’m fine.” She wiped at the scratch of blood on her head. “Pretty standard for the pit.”

“How’s your training going?” Caduceus asked.

“If you asked Dairon, they’d say poorly. If you asked me, I’d say, very boring.” She cracked her neck and wrists. “Still, could be worse.”

“You’re never gonna get where you’re supposed to be if you don’t train.” Caduceus placed a hand on her shoulder and it glowed. Several of her cuts healed.

“Yes, dad. Wait, yes Dairon.” Fjord looked at her at her choice of words, and she noticed. “Dairon cares more than my dad.”

“Got it.”

“You should appreciate your parents more Beau.” Caduceus said.

“That’s easy for you to say, Melora cares about all of her kids, not just the one they pick to take over when they retire.”

“Who’s your dad?” Fjord asked.

“Thoreau.” Fjord did not recall the name at all. Beau gave him a look, but he just shrugged. She turned to Caduceus. “Seriously?”

“Don’t be harsh, he didn’t know who Melora was either.”

Beau rolled her eyes. “Where did you find this guy?”

“On a beach.” Caduceus said. Beau gave him a look that Fjord couldn’t quite read, but there were a lot of raising eyebrows. Caduceus didn’t seem to understand either, but she just rolled her eyes.

“So, what did you bring your not very educated friend here?”

“He doesn’t have the best faith in people. I’m trying to introduce him to some good people.”

“Yet you chose me.”

“You’re good.”

“I invented mail fraud.”

“You’re still good.”

“You’re too trusting.”

“You haven’t done anything to make me not trust you.”

Fjord watched the two bicker back and forth. The argument was old and familiar to them, nothing with actual stakes, just something they did. He kinda liked watching it.

“So, want the tour?” Beau asked him as she stretched out her arms. “It’s a lot of old books and people learning how to punch shit, but Caduceus thinks the outside is nice.”

“It is nice.” He countered.

“You think all of outside is nice, so I’m not counting your opinion.” She grabbed at Fjord’s arm and pulled him forward. “Let’s go man.”

“Whoa-okay.” He didn’t bother trying to protest so much. She would most likely punch him in the face and break his arm. Not a fun idea. He heard Caduceus follow behind them as they made their way forward, back through the tunnel.

“Bye assholes!” She called over her shoulder to the other students. They all let out annoyed groans in response.

“You’re kind of rude.” Fjord observed.

“I’m very aware.” She responded, not even taking a minute to process the statement. “Dairon says it several times a day.”

“Who are they?”

“Oh, they’re my teacher.” Beau started stepping up the stairs, letting go of Fjord’s arm as she grabbed onto the railing. “She’s great, see’s potential in me or something.”

“Potential? For what?”

“Dairon believes that Beau should be next in line to take over for Ioun.” Caduceus explained. “She’s been training Beau since then.”

“I don’t understand why they think that.” Beau’s voice was flatter than what he was accustomed to since the moment he met her.

Fjord thought that Beau seemed confident when he first saw her, but even he could tell, with his shitty ability to read people, that it was a face. Whatever Dairon wanted her to do to take Ioun’s place, she didn’t feel she was up for it.

“Because you’re a great person.” Caduceus offered, smile care free as he spoke.

Beau just rolled her eyes. “Thanks Cad.”

“You’re welcome.”

Beau took a final step at the top of the stairs, and started her tour of the building. Her voice dripped with sarcasm over explaining the importance of some of the people there, but Fjord didn’t mind it so much. She was entertaining, and he found that he liked her. She breathed life in a way that he didn’t expect. He expected jadedness and hatred, but she was friends with Caduceus, so he really should have expected good in her at least.

“You should have taken him to Jester.” Beau finished her tour outside of the temple, a few of the muses giving her a wide berth. “She’s good at the whole, being nice and kind to people.”

“Jester can be a bit much for people who are new to the world.” Caduceus said.

“Point taken.” She looked over at Fjord’s slightly confused face. “Friend of ours. You’ll probably meet her later. Fjord nodded in response. “Now, I think that we should-”

“Beauregard!” A man ran out of the temple to her. “Dairon wishes to continue with your training.”

“Ugh. I’ll be there in a minute.” The man nodded and turned back inside. She turned to back to them, her smile turning to a grimace. “Thus ends my day, I’ll see you later Cad. Nice to meet you Fjord.” She held her hand out in a fist, which Caduceus did as well as they bumped knuckles.

“Nice to meet you as well.” Fjord offered. She turned into the temple, and gave a small wave behind her.

Caduceus smiled as he started to walk down the stairs, Fjord quickly following. “What do you think of her?”

“She seems nice.” Fjord offered.

“Most people don’t see that. Normally they see her as more abrasive.”

“Oh, well I wasn’t gonna say anything, but I was kind of afraid that she was gonna punch me in the face randomly.”

Caduceus chuckled. “Don’t worry, she only punches people who deserve it. She’s rough around the edges, but she’s still good.”

“I didn’t expect someone like her as your friend.”

“I kind of collect them. Good people, but rough around the edges.”

Fjord looked down at his hand. He didn’t know if he would ever get used to the green on it. It still disturbed him, but he didn’t ever entertain the idea of changing it. But he couldn’t help but think of Caduceus’ friend. Rough, but good.

He kinda liked that idea.


	5. Ending Fic

Hey y'all. I'm no longer continuing this fic. I don't have any interest in CR anymore. I'm leaving the first couple of chapters up but that's as far as it'll go. Thanks for the enjoyment and have fun in the fandom.

**Author's Note:**

> Title might change.
> 
> I'll be updating weekly, but it will be on Saturday's from now on.


End file.
